steinbe-rger



L. STEINBERGER.

NOISELESS, SMOKELESS, RAPID FIRE GUN.

APPLICATION FILED H8. 27, 19H.

1 ,8 1 6,897 Patented Sept. 10, 1919.

2 2 SHEETS SHEET I.

\ w l/VI/E/VTUH Ell LOUIS STEINIBERGER, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

NOISELESS, SMOKELESS, RAPID-FIRE GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 16, 1919,

Application filed February 27, 1917. Serial No. 151,159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, LOUIS STEINBERGER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inNoiseless, Smokeless, Rapid-Fire Guns, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improved means for throwing or hurling shots,bombs, grenades, base-balls, etc., at any predetermined velocity withoutappreciable noise and without the use of gun-powder, and itconsistsessentially in a [centrifugal thrower or hurler operated bya motor, orany power generating device.

In its simplest form, the structure comprises a single motor and asingle centrifugal thrower or hurler to be operated by the motor, thesaid thrower or hurler bein provided with either a single or doublearrel for releasing and directing the trajectory of the shots.

My invention also comprises a structure embodying a single motor and aplurality of centrifugal throwers or hurlers, each of which is providedwith a single or double barrel, the centrifugal thrower or hurlingelements being connected to or mounted upon the shaft of the motor.

The thrower or hurler member may be arranged either in a planeperpendicular to the plane of the base or in a plane horizontal thereto,and it consists essentially of a plate having a groove out either in oneor both faces thereof, the shape of the groove being that of a curvewhich may be broadly de fined as that of a volute. More specifically thevolute curve constitutes only a portion of the entire curve, for thereasons that at the center the curve is practically circular for nearlyan entire revolution and at the periphery it takes the form or" the pathwhich the projectile will normally take upon being thrown from thehurler.

I have illustrated and will hereinafter more particularly describe twodilferent constructions pertaining to the center of the hurler plate atthe point where the projectile enters the groove.

The objects of this invention will be made clear from the sub-joineddescription and claims.

Referring to the drawings;

Figure 1 is a view in section of one form of hurler or thrower with themotor shown in elevation.

Fig.2 is a sectionon line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing a construction similar to thatshown in Fig. 1, the hurler or throwing element, however, being in adifi'erent axial position from that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section of a double hurler shown in substantially the sameposition as the hurler in Fig. l, the grooves, however, in the faces ofthe hurler, being of different form and construction.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View partly broken away on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a structure provided with a single facedhurler placed in a horizontal position, the motor being in elevation.

Fig. 8 is a section of a detail showing a modified construction of afeeding hopper from that shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters refer tolike parts;

B is a base upon which the gun mechanism is supported, T is a tablesupported by means of horizontal pivots to the base B, "l" is aturn-table mounted upon the table T so arranged and constructed as toturn on a vertical pivot. M is a suitable electric motor fixedly mountedupon the turn-table 'll". Also mounted upon-the turn table T are standsS and S for supporting the hurler or thrower mechanism and the magazinefor the reception of and for feeding the projectile to the throwing orhurling element.

It is my object to mount the hurler or thrower mechanism so that it maybe trained to assume any desired direction or fire. To accomplish thispurpose, I provide perforated lugs 10 and 10 extending upward from thebase B and two pairs of duplicate lugs 11 and 11 extending *dow-nwardlyfrom the under-side of the table T so fitted as to straddle or embracethe lugs 10 and 10'. These cooperating lugs are pivoted to each other bythe pivots 12 and 13 as shown. The table T is held in its adjustedposition with respect to the base B by means of a screw-threaded rod 2pivotally connected by a link 3 to the table T, the screw-threads of therod 3 engaging a nut 4 fitted to turn on the base 3, but withoutreciprocating movement as shown. The nut is provided with an operatinghandle 5, for easy manipulation. I

At the center of the table T is a hole 14 through which passes a bolt 15provided with a head 16 and a screw-threaded shank 17, engaging withscrew-threads in a hole 18 bored through the center of the plate T.()ppositely extending flanges 20 and 21 are provided at the peripheriesof the plates T and T and in these flanges are seats or grooves for thereception of roller bearing balls 22 in order to permit the turning ofthe plate T upon the plate T with as little friction as possible.

Extending npyjardly from the plate T are suitable castings to form asupport for the motor shaft 30. These castings are secured to the tableT by bolts 23 and 24 and to each other by bolts 25 and 26.- The faces ofthese castings are dished out to provide a space 27 for the reception ofthe disk portion of the hurler or thrower element 50.

The motor M is provided with a shaft 3 0, which shaft at one end restsin bearings 1n the stand S which is preferably provided with a nest ofanti-friction ball bearings 32. The hub 34: of the hurler 50 extends fora substantial distance along the shaft and is keyed thereto as at 35throughout the length.

of the hub. Any efi'ective key may be used for this purpose, but I haveshown a portion of the shaft 35 whichis rectangular in cross section andwhich engages with a similarly shaped axial opening through the hub sothat the hurler will turn with and therefore will be turned b the motorshaft 30. The hub of the hur er is mounted with roller bearings 33 whichclosely fit in the space between the hub and a sleeve 37 of the stand Sin order toallay friction. To avoid wear the roller bearings will rotatearound a hardened metal sleeve fitted to the outside of the hub. Thehurling element as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is provided on its faceopposite to the elongated hub with a sub; stantially volute groove 60for the reception of the projectiles 61 as they enter said groove fromthe outlet 82 of the magazine 63 as shown. The grooved face 64 of thehurler fits closely against the smooth face 65 of the stand S so thatthe extremities of the groove are open only at the central portion andat the periphery of the hurlef. In this particular construction, the.central part of the grooved face is flush with the plate 65 of thestand and the groove which is of sufli'cient width to receive theprojectile gradually attains its full depth along an inclined surfacethrough an arc of about 45. The curve then follows a curve which issubstantially that of a volute until the periphery of the hurler isreached when the curve of the groove takes a form which liessubstaninsides? tially in 'the path taken by the projectile, when it ishurled or thrown from the centrifugalhurlin element.

I have provi ed a muzzle portion which may extend in any suitabledirection from the cavity in which the hurler revolves.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5, 1 provide curved grooves 70 and 71in the opposite faces of the hurling element. The shape of the groove inboth faces is the same and therefore it is only necessary to describethe groove in but one face of the hurling element in Fig. 5. It shouldfirst be explained that the hurling element is provided with a hub 72which extends a substantial distance on each side of the center and thishub is spllned at 7 3 to the motor shaft 30, the entire structure beingjournaled at 74 in the stand S and at 75 in the stand S. The face of thehurling element is cut away for a distance from the hub greater than twodiameters of the projectiles to be fired, and therefore leaves an openspace 7 6 of suitable area for the reception of a plurality of theproectiles. The groove 77 begins at the knifeedge point 78 the latterforming a wall between the space 76 and the groove 77. The said groovegradually decreases into a groove of normal width 79 which continuesinthe form of a volute until the groove reaches the periphery of thehurler at 80, at which point the groove is cut to substantially followthe curve of the trajector of the projectile as it leaves the hurler. nthis structure there are two grooves in which the projectiles are placedand a single barrel for the reception of the projectiles as they leaveboth grooves, 91 and 92 are a pair of feeding magazines so constructedthat the projectiles enter one by one intothe space 76 at the center ofthe hurling disk.

In Fig. 7, I show a motor M, the shaft 30 of which is provided with abeveled gear 93 which meshes with a' beveled gear 94 on the verticalshaft 95 projecting through the plate 96 which is secured in anysuitable manner to the supporting brackets 97 and 98. The hurler issplined to the shaft 95 and rests upon ball-bearings as shown to allayfriction. A dish-shaped plate 97 is secured at its flanges-98 to theplate 96 and its inner face is adjacent to the grooved face of thehurler 99 which assumes a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 7 Mountedupon the plate 97 is a feeding hopper 100 supported by brackets 101 and102, the mouth of which is so arranged that thepro ectiles will fall bygravity into the space 7 6 so as to be in'a positionto enter the groovewhen thrown out to the periphery of the space 7 6 by centrifugal force.

In Fig. 8, I have shown a detail of a structure which is similar-in allrespect to that shown in Fig. 7 with the exception that the delivery endof the feeding hopper 109' is of suflicient width to permit the feedinginto the groove of a number of projectiles side by side.

In operation the hoppers or magazines are filled with projectiles andthe hoppers are kept supplied during the firing. The motor is then setin motion thereby revolving the hurling or throwing element, at anyspeed desired. .The projectiles will then fall by gravity to the centerof the hurling plate or element and they will either enter serially theinner end of the groove as it opens to receive a projectile at eachrevolution of the motor, when a hurling structure such as shown in Figs.1 and 4 is used, or they will enter the cavity at the center of the faceof the hurler in sufficient number to keep that cavity full during thefiring when a hurling structure such as shown in Figs. 5 and 8 is used.The projectiles will enter the grooves in both cases and be expelledtherefrom atgreat velocity, by means of centrifugal force.

The projectiles will be fed from the magazine either serially or innumbers, depending on the size of feed opening of the hopper ormagazine.

A single motor is efiective for operating a plurality of either singleor double hurlers or throwers, all of which may be situated either atone side or on both sides of the motor. It is of course obvious that myinvention is not restricted to the use of the particular form of motorshown, but any suitable form of motor or power mechanism producing therequired number of revolutions of the thrower or hurler member, willcome within the scope of my invention.

The motor and the hurler may be so pro portioned and the motor re latedto attain such a speed that the hurler will throw, hurl or fire 2500 to7,000, shots or more per minute.

Oil or water may be fed into the hurler for lubricating and cooling therevolving parts and the body of the gun. The posltion of the terminalinlet for the shots as shown in Fig. 2, may be so fixed that the shotswill be propelled vertically, and hence the gun will be useful forshooting at aeroplanes, balloons, and other air-craft.

As shown in Fig. =6, the vterminal outlets for the shots may\ be locatedat different levels, that is one of the outlets as shown in dotted linesat 90' may be so positioned with relation to the groove 80' in one faceof the centrifugal hurler, that the gun will shoot high and the otheroutlet as shown full lines at 90 may be so positioned with relation tothe groove 80 of the other face of the hurler so that the gun will shootlower.

From-the above description, it is readily seen that the gun mayconstitute a single unit, in which one motor and one centrifugal throwerhaving a single barrel or muzzle for'directing the course of the shotsmay be utilized and again it may consist of' a motor and .a centrifugalthrower provided with a double barrel for releasing and directing thetrajectory of the shots. Again the structure may comprise a single motorand a plurality of centrifugal throwers single or double barreledconnected to or mounted upon the shaft of the motor either at one sideof the motor or at both sides of the motor.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particularshape or form'of any part shown, neither do I limit myself to theprecise arrangement of the arts with respect to each other.

It is to be further understood that the above description and drawingsare merely illustrative, and that the invention is not to be limited inany respect, except as defined in the sub-joined claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a-device of the class described, a shaft, a plate fixedly securedthereto at the center thereof, a substantially volute groove in the faceof the plate. extending from a point near to the center of the plate toits periphery, the face of the central portion of the plate being flushwith the face of the portion of the plate forming the walls of thegroove, means for closing the open side of the groove and means forturning the shaft.

2. In a device of the class described, a hurling element provided with'a substantially volute groove in the face thereof, the entire centralportion of the face being in the same plane with the outer faces of theportions forming the walls of the groove.

3. In a device of the class described, a hurling element containing asubstantially volute groove in each face, the center of the hurlingelement immediately surrounding the hub being provided with cavitieseach of the same depth as the grooves.

4. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a hurling elementfixedly secured thereto, a substantially volute groove in the facethereof, a means for covering the open side of said groove, said hurlingelement having a cavity in its face surrounding the hub, said cavitybeing of a depth substantially equal to that of the groove and having adiameter substantially larger than the width of the groove, a funnel ormagazine situated adjacent to the cavity, the inner extremity of thesaid funnel wmmunioating with the cavit and means for turning the shaft.

.5. in a device of the class described, a shaft, a plate fixedly securedto the shaft, said plate having a central depression in the facethereof, and a substantially volute groove extending from the depressionto the outer edge of the plate, a funnel magazine for the reception ofprojectiles adjacent the central cavity, the inner end of the funnelbeing of sulficient widthfor the simultane- 011s passage of a pluralityof projectiles, the inner end of the magazine funnel communieating withthe central cavity and.means for turning the shaft.

6. In a device of the class described, a base, a plate horizontallypivoted to said base, a second plate vertically pivoted to the firstmentioned plate, a stand secured to the second plate, a centrifugalhurler rotatably mounted on the stand and means for rotating saidhurler.

7. Ina device of the class described, a disk shaped hurling element,each face of which is provided with a volute groove :tor the receptionof projectiles, said grooves extendingfrom the center to the peripheryof the disk, the said grooves being arranged with respect to each otherso that similar points in each groove will be situated at differentradial positions.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, city, countyand State of New York,this 26th day of February, 1917.

LOUIS STEINBERGER.

In presence of SARAHIETLE SMITH, ISABEL R. RICH: ,I"'"

